


Worrying About People's Eyes

by Hinganbachuru (Twilight_Joltik)



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: And Luke's really not in the mood for his BS, Don't listen to Jared he gives terrible advice, M/M, Overcoming stage fright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8638747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Joltik/pseuds/Hinganbachuru
Summary: Luke enlists Jared's help to try to get over some stage fright problems. He's not very helpful.





	

Performing is a rush, and he adored every second of it, so long as he couldn’t see the audience or their eyes. Really, just knowing he was being watched, it was always enough to make him falter, stumble, let every piece of the performance fall apart. The heat of all the stares was too much for him to take, perhaps the main reason he always felt most comfortable in the recording room.

 

If he ever wanted to make it beyond the tracks PBG so graciously lets him broadcast to the student body, he couldn’t let that stop him. He needed to grow comfortable with being watched. 

 

Hence how he found himself sitting across from easily the most stared at person in the entire school- in all of Higanbana, even. Even just the casual eye contact was making him squirm, but that might have more to do with the fact it was Jared rather than nerves. He could take looking Ian or Jeff or Jimmy in the eye- heck, he could take Jared when he wasn’t the only one there, but Jared on his own like that was just a little too blinding. His eyes seemed to be gouging into him, assessing his every last movement. 

 

“So, you need to be comfortable with people looking at you, right?”, Jared started, voice slow and methodical. 

 

Luke took a deep breath. He knew Jared, he knew the dork he roleplayed with, he knew he wasn’t anyone to be intimidated by. But, even knowing that, his air of grandeur was hard to overcome. 

 

So he just nodded, because he didn’t want to stumble on the words. Was Jared purposefully trying to make him uncomfortable? He seemed a bit less… natural than usual, for want of a better word. Just as rigid as Luke himself felt, even. 

 

“Okay, so, what do I need to do about it?”, Jared pressed, leaning in a bit closer. “Do you need practice? Or tips?”

 

“I- I-” He took another deep breath and tried to think. When he’d imagined this conversation, how did he think it would go down? 

 

Well, there was one thing in particular he wanted to know how to do. 

 

“Tell me, how do you do it?”, he asked, trying to meet Jared’s eyes. “How do you go around, knowing everyone is watching every move you make like a hawk?”

 

Jared gave him an odd look and a bit of a frown. “Well, uh, mostly I just don’t think about it too hard,” he admitted. “You kinda get used to it after a while. But when you put it that way, yeah, that sounds pretty impressive.”

 

For a brief moment, he could see Jared clearly, or at least his Jared, Dungeonmaster Jared, actually a good friend Jared. But that person vanished, and he once again felt his eyes burning as he tried to maintain eye contact.

 

“I think the key’s just being confidant, you know?”, Jared went on. “If you convince yourself you’re the best, you’ll act like you are, and other people will see you are!”

 

“Yeah, but how am I supposed to convince myself I’m the best when I stutter and panic every time I try to perform in front of people?”, Luke countered. He was starting to get a bit annoyed, if he was being entirely honest. Jared wasn’t exactly helping.

 

Leaning in a bit closer, Jared went on with some flowery nonsense. “You have to shine as brightly as possible, see? Make sure you’re what everyone’s looking at, then there’s no way they’ll judge your missteps.”

 

What was that even supposed to mean? Luke let out a long sigh. “That’s easy for you to say, you have the shining part built in!”

 

“Well, it’s not about the sparkling, it’s about thinking ahead. Making sure you know what you’re doing and have it down to a t,” Jared continued, still making relatively little sense. 

 

“Jared, please, I just want to get over this stupid stage fright,” he begged, leaning in a bit closer. He was still blindingly bright and strangely mechanical, as if on autopilot, but he was too annoyed to care at this point.

 

With effortless grace, Jared cocked his head to the side and gave a tight-lipped scowl. “What do you think I’m doing?”

 

“Not helping, that’s for damn sure!”

 

All at once Jared doubled over with laughter. Luke could almost hear the mask he’d been wearing breaking. He was more confused now than ever. “Um, wh-what’s so funny?”

 

“Don’t you see?”, Jared questioned with a devious smirk. “You were all freaked out earlier, now you’re just pissed off at me! That’s progress, right?”

 

Luke was speechless. Absolutely speechless. That, all the bravado and staring, was helping?

 

“So you’re saying I need to get pissed off at everyone before I perform?”, he dryly asked. 

 

He just shrugged. “Whatever works!”

 

“But personally,” Jared leaned in closer, his hand reaching out to pull Luke’s chin upwards. “I think you’re doing perfectly well,” he whispered, eyes suddenly half-lidded. 

 

His face grew hot, and he shoved Jared away without thinking. His hand was covering half his face, he didn’t know how to respond to… that. 

 

“Never mind, you suck at this!”, Jared exclaimed, back to his normal- well, normal as far as Luke was concerned- self. “Can’t even take a bit of flirting? Come on, that was basic! Basic!”

 

Sighing again, Luke leaned forward in his chair, hand on cheek. This was going to be a long road, wasn’t it?

  
  



End file.
